Not a lot is said about Cain’s sons, but we get some details every once in a while. When the generations brought us to Lamech in Genesis 4:19, we read, “Lamech took two wives. The name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah.” Lamech “took” two wives. This is the first mention of bigamy in the bible and is accompanied by violence. The progression and increase of violence in the world will eventually lead to the flood and the destruction of all humanity. Philo suggested that the deterioration of society can be seen in the names of Cain’s other sons that came before Lamech, but Hughes argues that this is the first sign of the decline. He writes, “Here we see in the initial growth of civilization the first sign of degeneration (civilization’s demise in its rise) with the tragic institution of polygamy. God’s will had been given to Adam and Eve as part of creation: ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh (Genesis 2:24). Polygamous departures from the divine norm came to dominate both Cainite and Sethite cultures, as the rest of Genesis records. And its disastrous effects are often seen in Genesis. So, note well that as civilization advanced, rebellion against God’s word advanced.”[1]
Midrash is an ancient Jewish commentary on the Hebrew scriptures, often attached to the biblical text. We have copies of it that date back as far as the 2nd century of the current era, but the content of its teachings is considered to be much older. One Midrash claims that each of Lamech’s wives served a different purpose. Adah was to bear his children. Zillah was to satisfy Lamech’s unbridled sexual urges. One blogger said, “She drank a contraceptive elixir so that unwanted pregnancy did not ruin her appeal. She adorned herself like a harlot.” Some claim that her name, Zillah, actually means “seductress.” The writer of this web sermon said, “A late Midrashic work notes that Esau took multiple wives, Adah for procreation and Oholibamah for gratification (Genesis Rabbati Vaylishlach 160). In both Lamech’s (4:20) and Esau’s (36:4) cases, respectively, the wife named Adah is recorded as the first wife to give birth, implying that that was her purpose.” The second wife was to fulfill the lust of the flesh. This is what brought King David down. He “saw” lusted and then took Bathsheba. His many wives marred Solomon’s reign!
The web article I’ve been referring to adds this to the discussion: “Generations of readers of Scripture, Jew and gentile alike, have looked upon Lamech with a jaundiced eye. If ever there were a religious figure likely to reread the Lamech pericope with a benevolent hermeneutic, it would have been Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism. He was a staunch believer in, and practitioner of, plural marriage. Yet even Smith wrote of his lecherous predecessor: “For Lamech having entered into a covenant with Satan, after the manner of Cain, wherein he became Master Mahan, master of that great secret which was administered unto Cain by Satan (Book of Moses 5:49).”[2] One of Satan’s tools is the “lust of the flesh.” He uses it to destroy politicians, religious leaders, kings, and presidents. Courson leaves the readers of his commentary with a warning. He writes, “If you’re toying with an affair, an infatuation, a fantasy, a pictorial excursion on the Internet, understand this: the degree to which anyone else becomes attractive to you is the degree to which your spouse will become increasingly unattractive. No man can serve two masters. That’s just the way the human soul is made.”[3]
[1] Hughes, R. Kent. 2004. Genesis: Beginning and Blessing. Preaching the Word. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
[2] https://anshesholomnewrochelle.org/sermons/lamech-and-his-wives/
[3] Courson, Jon. 2005. Jon Courson’s Application Commentary: Volume One: Genesis–Job. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.